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Parliament of Rutania
The Parliament of Rutania is a unicameral legislature of the federal government of Rutania that meets in the National Parliament Building in Vanderburg. Representatives are chosen through direct election. Each of the 555 members of the Parliament represents a district and serves a four-year term. Seats are apportioned among the 5 provinces by population. =History= =Powers= Constitutional Checks & Balances =Legislative Term= The parliament meets year round and at times, members are able to take breaks when legislation is not being debated/voted on. A term of parliament is divided into two sessions; one lasts for 2 years. A session is essentially when the Parliament meets to debate and vote on laws. A new session begins on January 1 and ends two years later on January 1. If January 1 falls on a weekend, then the session will begin at the start of the new week. The current parliament is the 92nd Parliament of Rutania. =Composition= The parliament is a unicameral legislature with a total of 555 members that represent all 5 provinces of Rutania. Elections for the Parliament are every 4 years and members are not subject to term limits. In order to fill all 555 seats, each of the 5 provinces are divided into congressional districts based upon population; the larger the province, the more representation it receives in the parliament. Coalition Governments Because no party has won an out right majority in Rutania in over 200 years, coalition governments allow parties of similar interest to come together to pass their agenda and establish a working government as set forth in the Constitution. At times, a "Unity Government" may come to fruition. In this case, it means when most or all parties in the nation agree to work together despite ideological differences. This usually happens when the stability of the nation comes into question or during times of war. Recorded history has provided only 10 instances in which such a thing has taken place. The current government consists of the Rutanian Liberty Party, Urban Party of Rutania, Libertarian Freedom Party and Rutanian Progressive Conservatives. Officially, it's known as Rutania's Right II. =Officers= The party with a majority of seats in the Assembly is known as the majority party. The next-largest party is the minority party. The Speaker, committee chairs, and some other officials are required to be from the majority party; they have counterparts (for instance, the "ranking members" of committees) in the minority party. Speaker of the Parliament The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Parliament. The duties and powers of the Speaker are defined by the rules and customs of the Parliament. Speakers have a role both as a leader of the Parliament and the leader of their party. As the presiding officer of the Parliament, the speaker generally presides over debate though not every debate. In some cases, he or she delegates the responsibility of presiding to other members. The presiding officer sits in a chair in the front of the chamber. The powers of the presiding officer are extensive; one important power is that of controlling the order in which members may speak. No member may make a speech or a motion unless he or she has first been recognized by the presiding officer. Speakers serve as the chair of their party's delegation committee, which is responsible for assigning party members to Assembly committees including the chairs of the committee. The Speaker is not allowed to be a member on any committee as it may create a political conflict of interest. Party Leaders Party Leaders are elected by their respective parties in closed-door meetings by secret ballot and are also known as floor leaders. Party leaders are responsible for organizing and setting their party's agenda in the Parliament. They also serve as the chief speaker, though not always, for their party in the Parliament. =Legislative Process= =Committees= In the Parliament, there is a total of 11 committees; 10 standing committees and 1 select committee. The number of members on each committee is dependent on the number of party's which currently hold seats in the Parliament. Because 5 parties currently hold seats in the Parliament, each party has 11 members on a standing committee. There are 10 standing committees each with a total of 55 members from all 5 parties. A total of 550 members serve on 2 standing committees with committee assignments being decided by each party internally. The select committee is only available to the 5 parliamentary leaders of each party and it is the only committee in which they are allowed to serve on. This method ensures that all 555 members have a committee assignment. Each standing committee is headed by a chairman which is always from the majority party. Each of the remaining parties has a "ranking member" which is usually (but not always) the most senior member. The number of standing committees are not set in stone and can be added and/or deleted at the will of the Parliament. List of committees Standing Committees *Committee on Agriculture *Committee on Armed Services *Committee on the Budget *Committee on Commerce *Committee on Education *Committee on Foreign Affairs *Committee on Intelligence *Committee on Judicial Affairs *Committee on Oversight and Reform *Committee on Science and Technology Select Committee *Committee of the Leadership =Membership= Qualifications A representative must be at least 21 years old and must be a citizen of Rutania for at least 5 years as well as a legal citizen. Members must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the province they represent and must've lived in the district they wish to represent for at least 3 years. Terms and Election Terms As per the Constitution, representatives are directly elected by the people and serve a term lasting no longer than four years and are not subject to any term limits. The Parliament has the power to formally censure or reprimand its members; censure or reprimand requires only a simple majority, but does not remove a member from office. The Parliament may impeach a member and this will require a 2/3 vote. A new parliament will begin on January 1. During elections, the Parliament is on holiday and new legislation may not be voted on. It should be noted that the months of these events will change based on the election schedule, but the dates will not. Election Elections for representatives are held every four years on December 10 with elected representatives being subsequently inaugurated on December 30. Federal law states that representatives must be elected from multi-member districts by plurality-at large voting. Parties are required to nominate 1 candidates with a grand total of 5 people being on the ballot. It should be noted that the number of people required to be nominated by each party changes based on the number of parties eligible to hold seats. If there are four or more parties eligible to hold seats, then each party will be required to only nominate 1 candidate. If there are three parties eligible, then each will be required to nominate 2 candidates for a total of 6 on the ballot. If there are two parties eligible then both parties shall nominate 2 candidates for a total of 4 people on the ballot. Finally, if there is only one party in the nation, then they shall be required to nominate 3 people to appear on the ballot. Candidates can either be nominated in partisan primary elections, typically held in spring to late summer the year of the election or they can be selected internally. Four out of the five parties in the country, choose to forgo primaries and select their candidates internally. In terms of primary voting, the party is responsible for funding primaries and is charged with setting the date, time and rules of them as well. In order to hold a primary, a party must get the approval of the Federal Elections Board (FEB). On election day, the top three candidates that receive the most votes are elected to the Parliament. Congressional Districts Representatives are elected from 37 multi-member districts by plurality at-large voting (also known as block voting). Since the most amount of seats a province can have is 111, each province is divided into 37 congressional districts which have 3 members each. The number of seats a province is apportioned depends on its population. A census released exactly 2 months before the the general election determines the seat composition for the upcoming session of parliament. Flex-Districts Whenever a province is apportioned one less seat in Parliament due to the census, a congressional seat must be eliminated. In order to ensure that a province still has a set number of districts despite having less seats, Flex-districts were created. Flex-districts are districts that are designated to be "flexed" in the event a province is apportioned one less seat in the Parliament. What this means is that the designated district will have 2 members elected instead of the usual 3 members. Flex-districts, however, are not chosen by the Parliament and are instead chosen by the provincial legislature and can only be changed by them with a 2/3 vote. Ardinia, Delvar and Khodor require that the flex-district is the district with the smallest population. Bozarland requires that the district is the one with the largest population while Kragusrov allows the provincial legislature to pick the district. Because there are 555 seats, flex districts are no longer in use given the fact each province is apportioned the same amount of seats, despite the differences in population. Redistricting Like other countries, congressional districts are allowed to be redrawn; however, the process is not only time consuming, it's nearly impossible given the amount of red tape associated in doing so. Provinces are tasked with redrawing of districts. A redrawn district must be approved by a 2/3 vote in the province's legislature and then by the Governor. It will then be reviewed and either approved or denied by the Federal Elections Board. A "denial" means the province must redraw the district and wait 2 years before submitting it again; an "approval" means the new, redrawn district shall take effect during the next Parliament. Privileges Members of enjoy the privilege of being free from arrest in all cases, except for treason, felony, and breach of the peace. This immunity applies to members during sessions and when traveling to and from sessions. However, there are rules restricting offensive speeches, and those caught suffer punishment such as a loss of pay or censure. As of 3458, rank and file members of the parliament receive a yearly salary of 5,000 RUT. Party leaders are paid 5,300 RUT per year. The Speaker of the Parliament earns 5,500 RUT per year. =Current Membership= |- !colspan=6 align=center bgcolor="E9E9E9" |3458 Elections |- ! colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="center" | Parties ! colspan="3" align="center" | Results |- bgcolor="#E9E9E9" align=center ! width="75" |Votes ! width="30" |Seats |- | bgcolor="#FF0000" | | align="center" |Workers' Solidarity Movement | align="center" | WSM | 17,086,775 || 146 |- | bgcolor="#0000CD" | | align="center" |Rutanian Liberty Party | align="center" | RLP | 14,008,760 || 120 |- | bgcolor="#00529F" | | align="center" |Rutanian Progressive Conservatives | align="center" | RPC | 13,001,202 || 112 |- | bgcolor="#FFFF00" | | align="center" |Libertarian Freedom Party | align="center" | LFP | 11,718,213 || 99 |- | bgcolor="#00A6EF" | | align="center" |Urban Party of Rutania | align="center" | UPR | 9,067,355 || 78 |- | colspan="5" bgcolor="#E9E9E9" | |- ! align="center" colspan="3"| Total ! 64,882,305 !! 555 |} =Links= Government of Rutania Rutania